~1000 spp. in 300+ genera in our area, ~10,300 spp. in almost 1900 genera in the Western Hemisphere and >30,000 spp. in >5000 genera worldwide(3)(1)(4)

Overview of our fauna

Classification follows(1), except that we keep the Disteniinae as a subfamily. * –taxa not yet in the guide, with links to Bezark’s Catalog(5) for quick reference. Attention editors: As guide pages for these taxa are added, please replace these links with links to the guide pages.

Larval habits: Most species feed within dead, dying or even decaying wood, but some taxa can use living plant tissue. Girdlers (adults of the Onciderini, larvae of genera in the tribes Methiini, Hesperophanini and Elaphidiini) sever living branches or twigs, with the larvae developing within the nutrient-rich distal portion. The larvae of a few species move freely through the soil, feeding externally upon roots or tunneling up under the root crown.(1)

Many adults (esp. the brightly colored ones) feed on flowers.(6) Adult feeding requirements are variable, with some species taking nourishment from sap, leaves, blossoms, fruit, bark, and fungi, often not associated with larval hosts; others take little or no nourishment beyond water(1)

Life Cycle

The life spans in temperate regions typically range from 1 to 3 years, but cycles of 2-3 months to decades have been documented. Most of the lifetime is spent in the larval stage; the adults usually emerge, disperse, reproduce, and die within a few days to months. Cellulose digestion appears to be aided primarily by enzymes rather than symbiotic microorganisms. In many cases, Cerambycidae are primary borers, providing a vital "first step" in the biorecycling of wood.(1)

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